CartagenaWarlock

The finer things in life are expensive in any country. I spend 15K for food and 10K for weed. Except the breakfast, I order most of my food. Also, when you get older, I assume people tend to eat less. Sometimes I drink cocktails, and there may be another 2K/month. I don't sit in the bar from morning until midnight, drinking beer. That's how most people spend their money, I assume.

I went to the full-money party in February. Nobody ever approached me to buy drugs. It was surreal. Overall, I enjoyed it. They don't have adequate public toilets compared to the crowd they get. I had to go to the weed shop every time I had to pee and buy a diet coke.

I think Chinese mafia is involved. What happened to those Chinese mafia cases. We don't hear anything about them any more.

Cash is still king in the sense that it was used first, I believe. During a stock market crash, if you have cash, you can buy up beaten-down stocks. So it's still a king. However, for day-to-day purchases, a credit card provides more advantages than cash.

That's also a problem for me in the US because my handman guy does not accept credit cards. He only accepts cash or checks (yes, some people in the US are still using checks). I called him to fix my heater and had to cough up $1300 in cash. But he is cheaper. If I had called an HVAC maintenance guy, he would have charged me $3,000.

I use it extensively in the US but have never tried it in Thailand. Maybe I will give it a try. I'm not sure of the advantage, though. In Thailand I just pull out my CC and wave it. In the US, I can use it for online ordering, in restaurant, etc. I have not tried in supermarket in the US. I remember using it in Taipei once while ordering some foods from a table inside the restaurant.

I use CC and cash.

I rented a MC in Samui, and she asked for my passport and DL. I told her I didn't have a passport. She was surprised but insisted on seeing my passport. I told her I had lost it. She wanted to see the police report. I said I was going to the police station now. She wanted to see my Thai DL which I had and showed it. But she wanted to keep it. I asked what would happen if the police stopped me and asked for my license. She gave me her card and told me to call her, but I must be wearing a helmet. I agreed and gave her my license.

Cooperating with the US and EU does not mean kowtowing to their demands to punish other countries. As China and India have shown, they don't care this foolish financial punishment of Russia. They will buy their oil from Russia and Iran using their own currencies. And what they want is to strengthen that and other trades without dollars in the future.

There is no danger to the dollar in the near future. What BRICS is trying to do is thwart America's attempt to punish other countries financially that don't kowtow to the American empire. Europe is a vessel state of America. They will always bow to America. But as of now, Russia, China, and India are not going to, and they have openly indicated so recently. They will pursue their own interests. An alternate to the dollar will facilitate the financial transactions of non-cooperating entities without trade disruptions. There is no danger of the dollar collapsing unless humanity is doomed due to nuclear wars, an asteroid strike, or similar worldwide catastrophes. What may happen in the future is a reduction of America's debt fueled spending to wage proxy wars, but the dollar will still remain a powerful currency. BRICS currency will provide an alternative trading tool in case America wants to punish countries that refuse to kowtow to America. And Thailand must join BRICS, if they get the opportunity. Imagine a scenario where America wants to punish China and gives warnings to countries that do trade with China. Thailand wants to do trade with China, they don't want to get entangled in the China-USA conflict. With an alternate currency, Thailand can continue its trade even if the USA cuts dollar access to Thailand.

I don't like McDonald's delivery because the fries become soggy, and I don't like it.

I don't have problems eating rice except for breakfast. Also, I don't like eating food from the same region every day, not even Western food. So I change every day. Pattay is like a food heaven. One can get food from almost every region of the world, and it is not very expensive.

Done many times. Not more than 24 hours. Moreover, I can see the money is already gone from Wealthfront after 48 hours of Wise pull.

I am not a big fan of KFC, but I believe they have one in Lotus. I like Texas chicken. I never go to Burger King in the US either. So, I don't miss it. My first food chains were McDonald's and Arby's in the US. I believe they don't have Arby in Thailand. I have never seen one. For McDonald's, I either go to Tree Town or Tukum. More often to Tukum than to Tree Town.

They have two gas stations on Thepprasit Road. I like Jomtien. Only once did I go to Wongamat/Nakula to look for a condo, but I did not like the area. I can't give you the exact reason. The first impression was not good. The only thing lacking in Jomtien is a McDonald's, and I don't like ordering from McDonald's. I like their hot French fries.

Just hand over a veet tube. That's what I do when my ladies show signs of laziness.

I wanted to try out the USA deposit account in Wise (USA). So I added $1,000 USD last Friday. They informed me it will take one week to get my funds from my Wealthfront account because apparently I linked the bank using two micro deposits. To check if the delay is due to Wealthfront or Wise, I immediately went to the Wealthfront site and initiated $1,000 transfer to Chase Bank, and the money reached my Chase bank in three hours. So it is not that Wealthfront is delaying it (The Wise transfer was a pull and the Chase bank transfer was a push). This morning I woke up and checked my Wise account; the money is still not there (after more than one week) in my Wise account. I checked my Wealthfront account and the money was withdrawn by Wise two days after I initiated the pull at Wise and that was five days ago. I don't understand why it takes so long for Wise to pull money from my US bank. I can assure you that most American banks will pull the money by the next day (apparently they do it in batches), and it will be in my account within two/three days. I'm not sure why it takes so long for Wise to pull the money. And yes, it's a shame that there is no instant transfer in the USA, like in most countries.

Just having a DTA does mean anything. If you have to dig into it to find out what is specifically exempt,. US SS, and government pensions are specifically exempt.

I talked to him. Apparently, he had an OA before COVID and abandoned it after they mandated health insurance. He says it is inconvenient for him to align his "permitted to stay" date with his health insurance expiration date. He gets his health insurance from the Federal Health Insurance Marketplace, and within two years he is going to switch to Medicare at 65. He stays for six months but not continuously. Takes a break and goes back to the USA. I told him the best option for him was to get an agent-assisted extension. After the first year, it is around $30 per month. And yes, he has to pay for the months he is not in Thailand, but still, it is a bargain. Now, let him do whatever he wants to.

So far, weed works for me the best. There is no need for any other enhancement drugs. I will see how long I can continue with weed and no enhancement drugs.

In Thailand one does not need a prescription to buy most medications. That is also the reason my UHC health savings MasterCard is always denied at all pharmacies. They only work in hospital pharmacies.

401(K) is like an IRA, and he has IRAs as well. So, this is ruled out.He mentioned O-A and is looking into it; otherwise, he will continue to do whatever he is doing with TVs and extensions. He is thinking about taking a risk, sending his IRA statement for a non-O, and seeing what happens.

Settlement time when you sell a portion of your 401K is a few days. Not immediately available, like in checking or in savings.

Credit cards. Credit cards are for emergencies.

He would make more from his investment in the US. Why would he put 800,000 baht in a Thai bank? I don't tell him to do something that will result in financial loss and is not a win-win situation for any party. Obviously, in US dollars. Does anybody know if the money should be in a savings account or a 401(K) or IRA will be OK?